


Sweet as Sugar

by hufflepuffvs



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Firefighter Steve Rogers, angrybirdcr200challenge, nurse reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26797900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hufflepuffvs/pseuds/hufflepuffvs
Summary: A tired and aching Steve Rogers needs sleep, a shower and, most importantly, food. Enter his new neighbour.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	Sweet as Sugar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [angrybirdcr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angrybirdcr/gifts).



To say he was exhausted was an understatement. 

His muscles ached, twinges of pain turning into sharp throbs the more he moved his arms and legs. Between his shifts at the station and the two classes for the academy, he could feel himself burning out during the day. 

He wasn’t stupid. He knew he needed to rest, to be ready and focused every time on the scene, especially as Captain. It was his job to direct his fellow firefighters to get people to safety and he couldn’t do that if he was too tired to function. Maybe he needed to end his temporary shift as an instructor earlier than planned. 

His feet shuffling as he walked down the hallway, Steve groaned deeply, his hand massaging the nape of his neck. At this point, he was ready to fall asleep on the floor. 

Once his door was open, Steve dropped his bag by the door, taking off his boots and his clothes, creating a trail leading to the bathroom, ready to take a much needed shower. 

Just then, he heard a knock. Frowning at whoever would be knocking on his door this late at night, Steve stumbled towards his door, opening it to find a toasted sandwich on a plate, with a piece of paper atop. He picked up the plate, looking around the hall to make sure it was for him, a smile growing on his features when he read the note. 

_Hi, 4F._   
_I heard your really loud groan in the hallway. I bet you’re really tired so here’s a toasted grilled cheese sandwich. On me._   
_From, 4C._

He remembered that someone moved in three doors away from his place, glimpsing a woman unpacking a box through her open door on his way to work. He wanted to think that he was too busy to introduce himself, but really it was because of his aloofness, the instinct not to let anyone in so he wouldn’t have to lose them. 

Steve shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts, shutting the door and heading to his kitchen, smiling to himself. He could do with a snack. 

Taking a generous bite, Steve let the flavour fill his mouth before he tilted his head back, letting out a satisfied groan. This was one of the best sandwiches he’d ever tasted. The savoury warmth combined with the melted cheese, mushrooms and tomato had him craving for more. Obviously he couldn’t go to his neighbour for another toasted sandwich in the middle of the night. 

After finishing his meal, Steve carefully washed his neighbour’s plate, placing it on her mat quietly on his way to work the next day, along with a note thanking her for the delicious treat. 

A week later, Steve found himself in the same predicament. 

After working a 12-hour shift, with a nap in between, he was ready to relax for the next 48 hours. Steve let out a yawn as he neared his door, running a hand down his face before he entered his apartment, engaging in his habit of dumping his bag and his boots at the door. 

He cut his time at the academy short at the start of the week and he admittedly felt less tired than before, relieving him of the strain on his body and helping him focus on the job. Now he was back to feeling his normal self, which included being hungry after every shift. 

As he ambled around his kitchen, his mind drifted to his neighbour, bringing a goofy smile upon his face. He wanted to meet her, to learn more about her. All he knew was that she was a good cook. 

Steve preferred to live a quiet life. Sometimes he felt the desire to have someone to greet him at the door when he came home, someone to talk to about his day, to hold and to love, but after the breakdown of a previous relationship- one that he thought would last, changed him. He became less impulsive and more reserved. Yet his new neighbour, who he hadn’t even met yet, made himself want to break his self-imposed ‘exile’ of sorts, admonish himself for being so restrained and knock on her door to say hello. 

A familiar knock broke Steve out of his thoughts. Blinking rapidly, Steve shook his head once, heading towards his door and opening it to find another meal laid onto a plate on the floor. 

Steve picked it up to find a note atop the food. 

_Hi 4F._   
_I bet you’re just acting tired to win a free meal. I’m guessing you liked my grilled cheese so try some of my chicken pot pie. Let me know what you think._   
_From 4C_

Oh yeah, Steve definitely wanted to meet her. 

\---

To say you were exhausted was an understatement. 

Although the hospital was less busy than during the day, it was the first time you were on the night shift, meaning the situation could change the next day. You were definitely dreading being on the night shift tomorrow but you loved being a nurse, so you would have to suck it up for the next three days. 

You rolled your head from side to side, loosening the kinks in your neck as you loudly yawned behind your hand, muffling the sound for your neighbours. Your intention was to shower and take a quick nap before you had to head to the hospital though your body wanted to conk out for the next ten hours. 

In fact, you were so sleep-deprived, you didn’t notice the squeak in the last step of the stairs as someone entered the hallway, eyeing you whilst walking past to his apartment. You fumbled with your keys, dropping your backpack on the nearby table once your door was open and collapsing face-first onto the sofa. 

You heaved a sigh. You were so tired yet you couldn’t fall asleep, the knowledge that you’d had to be up again soon keeping you awake. You commended the other nurses on the night shift; they had been doing this a lot longer than you and they had it handled. You were thinking of asking them for tips on how to survive the ungodly hours. 

You awkwardly laid there for nearly an hour, falling in and out of sleep until you heard a knock on your door. Sitting up, you inwardly groaned; you were too tired to engage in a conversation with anything. 

You shuffled to the door, confused to find nobody there upon opening it. You were just about to close the door when you looked down, your eyes catching the plate of food on your welcome mat. 

Oh boy. 

You picked it up, now fully awake, lifting the piece of paper with a smile. 

_Hey 4C._   
_I saw you as I was walking past. You must be exhausted so this time I’m returning the favour. This is my attempt at my ma’s lasagne . I’m not as great a cook like you so technically it’s your fault if it doesn’t taste good. Hope you enjoy it anyway._   
_From 4F_

**“How is this my fault?”** you asked yourself, chuckling.

You shut the door and headed to the kitchen, taking a fork out of its drawer. 

You remembered that day. You had just arrived back to your new apartment, deciding to make your favourite toasted grilled cheese sandwich, experimenting with a few mushrooms and tomato, mainly to get rid of the ingredients before they went bad. 

Just when you finished making it, you heard a really loud groan in the hallway. Frowning, you had looked through your peephole to find the firefighter from a few doors down. You’d never met him but you heard from Alice that he was a very kind and handsome man yet he rarely talked to the others. 

He must have been very tired, who knows what he’s seen that day? You took one glance at your ready made sandwich and decided to give it to him, writing a note in hopes he’d find it. You looked through your peephole again after you knocked on his door and rushed back inside. You were surprised to see him clad in only boxers, your eyes drifting to his chiselled abs. Quickly stepping away, you berated yourself for blatantly ogling your neighbour but you were still pleased to find your plate back in the morning, along with a thank you note. 

The second time was purely on instinct. You heard his loud yawn and quickly whipped up another meal for him. You were simply being nice but knowing he liked your food made you feel warm inside. 

The smell of the lasagne brought you back to your senses. You tentatively took a small bite, nodding at the nice taste. 4F wasn’t a bad cook at all, although he could be a bit more daring with his cooking, maybe add a little spice to his meals. 

You made a mental note to wash the plate and give it back to him when you could. For now, you were going to enjoy your free meal. 

\---

“Hi, I’m Y/N from 4C”

  
Of all things to expect on a Saturday morning, meeting the neighbour he’s been thinking about 24/7 was definitely not one of them. 

“H-hi,” he stuttered out. “I’m Steve from 4F”

“I know” you told him with a smile before handing his clean plate over. “Thanks for the lasagne”

“How was it?” Steve asked curiously. If it was edible, at least he could say his ma would be proud. 

“It was really tasty, actually”

“Really?” Steve let out a small smile when you nodded, straightening his shoulders in a rare bout of pride. “Thanks. I hoped it turned out good. If my ma was here,” he continued with a slight chuckle. “Well, it would’ve been ten times more delicious.”

“I bet.” you murmured. “But one thing I don’t get is how it would’ve been my fault if your cooking turned out to be bad.”

Steve laughed and playfully shrugged. “It would’ve been your fault because your food is delicious 4C. Can’t live up to it.”

You blinked in surprise, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear bashfully. “Oh. Um, thanks.” You couldn’t meet Steve’s eye. If you could, you would notice him staring at you, mesmerised. You were cute when you were nervous. 

“But, hey, you’re not so bad yourself.” you acknowledged, straightening up to address Steve. “Could do with a bit of oomph though” you joked. 

“Well, ya know, you could always stop by and offer some cooking lessons.”

You raised your eyebrows, his words taking you off guard. There was no way that meant what you thought that meant. No way. He was a handsome and kind firefighter and you were just some nurse with a messed up sleeping pattern. 

The longer you gaped at him, the more Steve thought he was coming on too strong. Shaking his head, he quickly backtracked. “I understand if you say no, I would too if I was in your place. I just thought we could do some neighbour thing, like--”

“Name the time and place,” you interrupted. “I’d love to.”

Steve let out a relieved sigh, internally cringing at his clumsy flirting. The first time he interacted with someone other than his friends and he was already blowing it. He was glad you helped him out; for some reason, there was a sense of calmness around you that made him feel at ease. 

Oh yeah, he definitely wanted to learn more about you. 

\---

It was the weekend after your first meeting and you had accepted Steve’s request for a cooking lesson, starting off with Sarah Roger’s quick and easy recipe of pecan pie. Steve told you it was second only to her apple pie but there were no apples to cook with in his kitchen. 

Throughout the lesson, Steve had told you all kinds of stories about his childhood and growing up with his mother’s food. The warm nostalgia accompanied with a small smile told you that they were very close. It suddenly dawned on you that the recipes he gained were very dear to him, so you would treat them, and Steve’s cooking, with nothing less; it was very clear that this was a way for him to be closer to his mother. 

You gave him stories of your childhood in return, how you learned to cook from your grandmother and the simple recipes she shared with you. In your viewpoint, nobody cooked delicious food better than your grandmother, but you were beginning to think Sarah Rogers was on par aswell. 

Steve found himself gazing at you once in a while, mesmerised by the smile you couldn’t keep off your face. It stirred up feelings in him that he thought were long gone, unable to come back after the disaster of a breakup two years ago. Your lively personality, your sarcastic humour, your hands covered in flour, your hair messily tied back as you steered him in the right direction- he was in the midst of falling for you. 

It’s just a little crush. Slow down, Steve. He repeated this to himself in his mind whenever his thoughts started to unravel. 

“So, what do you think?” Steve asked, carefully placing the hot tray on the counter you sat at. 

You eagerly grabbed a fork, digging in straight from the tray. You subtly winced when you had trouble breaking into the pie, the bite grinding against your teeth as you tried to chew- the pie was hard as a rock. 

Facing Steve who stood in front of you at the opposite side of the island, you reluctantly gave him the thumbs up, unable to tell him the truth. 

“It’s not good, is it?” Steve sighed out with a knowing smile. 

“No, no!” you assured him. “Not at all. The flavour is spot on and the filling is nice and smooth.”

“But….”

“It’s hard as a rock,” you finished. 

“That’ll teach me to put the tray on the top rack” Steve said, chuckling as he turned his head to face the oven behind him, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Hey, for your first time baking this, it’s not bad,” you told him, averting his attention back to you. 

He returned your smile. “Well, maybe next time.”

“Yeah, next time.” you repeated softly, unable to take your eyes off him, and vice versa. 

Oh yeah, Steve definitely wanted to see you again. 

**Author's Note:**

> So this was for angrybirdcr's challenge and I got the dates mixed up. Now I'm super late! (*major eyeroll at myself*). But finally it's here!


End file.
